Run. Think. Shoot. Live. Source.
Black Mesa is the Half-Life 2 total conversion of the original Half-Life game. Utilizing the Source engine and its endless array of possibilities and powers, Black Mesa will throw you into the world that started the Half-Life continuum and introduced Gordon Freeman to the world as a gun-toting, bullet-dodging Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics.

GOOD:
+Excellent execution of the intro sequence, visuals, and unique heads work great.
+Great dialog with friendly NPCs. Added mini-stories explaining why some scientists stayed behind.
+Atmospheric music.
+Crowbar animations.
+Decals splatter on viewmodel.
+Good health and HEV charger models.
+OP4 references: Medic soldiers and a few lines.
BAD:
-Marine combat is mediocre at best. They seem to have a smaller spread cone than you and most shots hit you regardless how fast you're moving. Discourages tactical manuevering, but instead it wants you to sit back behind some obscure staircase and pick with 357.
-Enemy gunshots low SNDLVL, often only hear impacts but not shooting.
-Annoying viewkicks/
-Bad clean voiceovers for marines, should of stayed with radio style/
-Sounds for houndeyes and bullsquids are quiet and dont appear to resemble/improve on hl1.
-Really missed out on bringing the vorts to life, no death screeches or significant chatter.
-Alien grunts lack loud metallic footsteps and good death noises.
-Gibbing sounds are way too subtle.
-357 viewmodel is crooked during ADS and texture is bad on the back of the cartridges.
-Cant ADS with 357 until it completes take out anim.
-Scripting, when you save a guard from a sniper by shooting RPG at him. He dies regardless and the scientist sits frozen crouched.
-Scripting, with helicopter at the canyon, It ZOOMED extremely fast across the map to the scripted crash site.
-Lack of clip brushes, constantly stuck on tiny details that barely stick out of walls and handrails.
-Movement doesn't feel fine tuned. Jump height is bad and too much sliding.
-Zombies throw props that dont collide with you.
-Auto reload sometimes ignores the most recent quicksave.
-Satchel doesn't stay upright or slide.
-Flashlight is obstructed by viewmodel.
-Grenade throw physics suck and bounce badly.
GUN GRIPES:
Glock17 stance sucks, MP5 permanently stuck in burst, SPAS12 hint "m2 to fire both barrels" and 40mm pickup model is too small.

Somehow, Black Mesa exceeds expectations. It not only is accurate to even the little details, but the attention to detail exceeds the Half Life games. Keep in mind that it has a few stability problems and is not complete.

Finally, after nearly half a decade in development, it's finally here.
I'll first congratulate the entire BMS team (Especially Cman2k + Raminator) on collaborating together for so long to produce Black Mesa: Source.

One thing is being a game developer is that you often know how thing's run under the hood of most games nowadays, removing the mystery and wonder of the game; but boy -- starting the mod, I was immediately swept away by the quality and detail put into each and every single map, model, animation and sound. It's as if a perfect musical conductor has tended to every corner of an old melody from years ago and has remastered it into perfection.

Story: Following Half-Life 1's plot to the absolute dot and rim; this mod has literally brought the kind of quality you would see out of Valve, I often times forgot I was playing a mod and not an actual game.

Gameplay: The game was well-balanced with the player capable of getting new weapons and enemies to combat simultaneously, level's didn't feel linear; allowing Gordan to come and deactivate a deadly turret on the path ahead, or find hidden batteries or ammunition in unexpected places. I was drowned in Half-Life Nostalgia.

Npc's were well balanced and surprisingly dynamic (especially allies) and did require more tactics and thought from the player as level's went on. Though playing on Hard, one of the biggest frustrating difficulties I'd run into multiple times were only HECU Grunts and the Helicopter.

Modelling/Art/Animation/Textures: Brilliant, totally brilliant. I did find however that some models and map area's had odd textures/Bump mapping that didn't look quite right when lit and refracted from they're surfaces, but otherwise looked beautiful.

Music/Audio: Voice acting was very well done, Xen creatures audio sounded sublime and matched well. The music wasn't the best honestly and oftentimes didn't fit the mood.

Mapping: Some clipping and a gaping hole once. Valve hire these guys. Kthx.